This story is part of WTOP’s continuing coverage of people making a difference in our community, reported by Stephanie Gaines-Bryant. Read more here.
As you set your clocks back and turn your heat on, it may be time to get reacquainted with your kitchen. A D.C.-area chef wants you to have a holistic kitchen revival this month and is offering a free class to show you how.
Madea Allen is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine (DOM), a chef and a holistic living expert, affectionately known as the “organic soul chef.”
“The kitchen is a place of healing. It’s a place of transformation,” she said, adding that many people have invisible roadblocks in their mind that keep them from going into the kitchen.
She said those blocks include a series of excuses such as “I don’t have the time,” or “I don’t have the money,” or “cooking is too hard.”
Allen said, figure out where those ideas are coming from then put a system in place in your kitchen just as you have financial systems and other systems in your life.
“Having a system in terms of nutrition and good meal production is really key,” she said.
That system should include, Allen said, having the right tools such as a good knife and a good cutting board along with pots and pans and no clutter. She said people have too many items in their kitchen that they’re not using.
Be willing to experiment with spices, Allen said.
“You have to develop a personal relationship with seasonings, and herbs and spices to see how it interacts with your body mind and spirit,” she said.
Allen said warming spices are great this time of year because they’re going to help your immune system, they are going to help with digestion and they’re going to keep you warm. She said to try spices like cinnamon, cloves and cardamom to warm you up as the temperatures cool down.
Allen has free monthly cooking classes open to the community. The next online Organic Cooking Revival will be on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. where you’ll learn how to put a supportive spin on holiday dishes with ‘S.O.U.L.ful Holiday Meals.’
To register, go to the Organic Soul Chef website.
